GrassRoots organizations

Grass roots organizations have an important job in bringing about change and providing for a sustainable future for all.Grass roots organizers and advocates usually distribute flyers,write articles, hold town meetings, go door to door, call friends and family for support and aid and can also lobby the government or local parties but this is rare.Grassroots organizations can raise issues at either the local, state or national levels depending on the severity of the issue. Many grassroots organizations usually react to what is happening in their own communities and try to garner public support.  Grassroots ultimately means that people are working together towards a common goal and they are "rooted" in what they believe in. 
Grassroots organizations are becoming increasingly successful because they are less in the political sphere and more in place to influence normal citizens that just want to have a voice in the face of adversity. Grassroots organizations such as AARP, the NRA, the Sierra Club, Americans for Tax Reform,National Wildlife Federation, Natural Resources Defense council and veteran organizations such as the VFW are making strides. 
Grass Roots organizations bring about a sustainable future because sustainability starts with the people. People have to make sustainable efforts not because they have to ,as set out by the government, but because they want to. Grass roots organizations are good at mobilizing people to be proactive and speak up for issues that will directly affect them such as oil pipelines being built, landfills polluting the water, climate change and natural resource degradation.   
The Ocmulgee River Initiative is an example of a grassroots organization that is right in our backyard. It arose in Macon to "establish a comprehensive water quality monitoring program for the entire 222 river miles of the Ocmulgee river". The ORI brings together concerned citizens from around the Macon area to test the water using certain techniques. The ORI also uses methods such as educational outreach to local school and community groups, community service activities involving clean- ups twice a year and a video documentary to further promote its message. ORI is a great example of how grass roots organizations put the work in the hands of vital citizens not money- hungry politicians or the media.Through ORI, citizens of Macon are able to see the cleanliness of the water they drink and bath with. They are also able to make sure the quality of the water will be sustained for years to come by cleaning it up while also bringing down human health risks for disease caused by contaminated water.ORI is not some elite organization but it thrives off community involvement and trains people with the necessary skills to make a change, which makes it unique. 

Waste

Most of my own waste comes from fast food bags and containers, paper towels, plastic utensils, and bath products.

In the course of a full day on Thursday April 17:

A paper bag from McDonalds
A paper cup from McDonalds
A cardboard sandwich container from McDonalds
A paper cup from Subway
A plastic bag from subway                      So, in a full year, I will probably waste 1,464 plastic bags                                                                          assuming that I waste about 4 plastic bags a day. In a full year,                                                                  I will probably waste more than 3,650 paper products                                                                                assuming that I throw away 10 paper products a day.             A empty bottle of bath wash        
5 or 6 sheets of paper towels
Paper flyers for events on campus
Miscellaneous plastic bags
A gum wrapper
A styrofoam cup
A plastic water bottle
A aluminum pineapple can


So, as you can see I eat out alot especially fast food and I generate most of my waste from throwing away containers, cups and bags from fast food restaurants. I also use a good amount of paper towels every day to clean my room or wipe my hands. I do not have extensive waste as far as throwing away aluminum, glass, or plastics but I do have alot of paper waste.

As compared to other Americans, my waste is pretty minimal simply by the fact that I live alone and I live on a college campus.
I think that I have pretty good habits of reusing things or buying products that I do not have to throw away. Instead of buying alot of plastic bottles, I have a water bottle that I refill. I also only drink water to stay healthy, so I have no need to buy drinks in plastic bottles such as gatorade or fruity juices. Also, instead of buying plastic utensils and using them once, I try to wash them and reuse them over and over again.
However, I think that if I tried to recycle the bags I get from restaurants or stores instead of just throwing them away, I will be making a difference because these bags can get into the waters and hurt the animals. I think buying a reusable shopping bag for when I buy groceries or go to Walmart would be a good option to make a small difference in curbing plastic waste as plastics have the most detrimental effects to the environment and wildlife.